FTL is not possible, but Dr. Jones proceeded to offer great insight with the words, As a result of this, I'm not as interested in working with the FTEs as the non- FTEs, because they don't have any incentive to behave themselves. This causes a great deal of frustration and wasted time for me. The FTEs are often just out of university and working in their first job, perhaps a little immature and immature and more than a little arrogant and obnoxious. The non-FTEs are often very senior and a bit more cynical about the whole 'work life balance' thing. What can be done about it? I'm often more or less in the middle of this, between the two. A: Is it just a matter of accepting the situation or can something be done about it? Depends on how long it has been going on. At my current employer we have 2:1 ratio of engineers to doctors, so they have some sort of structure, but it has been in place for quite some time. To answer more precisely, you could: Get the FTEs to act professionally, but Give them constructive feedback on their behaviour and Find another employer. A: If you can, you should move the FTEs. A: If I was you, I would make this post a sticky on meta.stackoverflow.com, so that it comes up on the first page for people searching for related topics. As far as what's going to happen, if the situation hasn't been addressed already, I'd expect that as a group of professionals in the same field you would find a way to address the situation through the channels available to you. Maybe you could invite your Dr. Jones to a team meeting or talk to your manager about the situation. From the answers to this question there's usually people that you can talk to for a solution or a strategy for addressing the situation, but in general, we've found that working in a place with lots of FTEs is a lot like being a fish in the sea -- sometimes you'll get caught in a whirlpool or sucked under a sink drain without even knowing it. What can be done about it? Nothing more specific than the above: find a way to approach the situation. I'm often more or less in the middle of this, between the two. Me too. It really depends on the situation. If you're just working under Dr. Jones as an FTE, and the problem is that he's not a team player, then you're probably more likely to get sucked under that drain, as described above. But if you've been working there for years and you've become a trusted and valued member of the team and Dr. Jones has become more of a hindrance, then maybe the other team members are just used to the situation and have already approached him about the problem, or he's just being an asshole and they don't know how to approach him about it. A: Yes, it could be that your current employer could make it a sticky on meta for you to be able to find it. In my experience, having a lot of FTEs is one of the most frustrating situations you can be in. Make an environment of collaboration If it's possible, I suggest making an environment where you can still get along with FTEs. Have a conversation with Dr. Jones or similar staff and let them know how frustrating you find it when they are treating you in such a way. Ask if there is anything you can do to reduce this. They may just want to deal with it privately, but that can often help resolve the problem. It may not resolve the problem entirely, but it will go a long way. If you do this in a positive way, your boss may have a better chance at understanding that you just don't want to spend the workday with them. Try to change the situation If you can't do the above, then do what you can. Do what you can to help your employer and his/her team. Ask if there are team lunches that Dr. Jones does every week or something similar. You could even make a team. Dr. Jones is never going to like a coworker with whom he can't collaborate. I would avoid going to HR and making a formal complaint. This may make it worse. I think that you would just have to come across as a team player that wants to collaborate on a positive note. I don't recommend going to HR or someone else outside of your team. Your team is a team and you should be able to work well with your coworkers. If the situation doesn't improve, consider leaving You mention that you want to leave if things don't change. A change may not happen. You may be in a situation where your team is going through some difficult times. Your boss may not know if the situation is going to resolve or not. You may just have to leave for a while and give yourself time to find a new position. Here is a question that may be helpful to you. Why do I have to deal with staff? I'm a software developer. If you find that you are not getting along with your colleagues, leave as soon as you can. Don't try to work things out. If you are miserable and that's going to cause you more unhappiness, leave as soon as you can.